Cybercrime is a widespread phenomenon, yet, cybersecurity remains an abstract idea in the small business community. A day barely goes without news of high-profile cyber attacks, affecting millions of people and enterprises. Data breaches are so prevalent that we may have become desensitized to the importance of cybersecurity. Nonetheless, statistics show cyber threats pose a legitimate concern for small businesses. 

Why Invest in Cybersecurity as a Small Business?

It’s no secret that hackers are increasingly focusing on small businesses. While it’s far more opportunistic to target a multibillion-dollar corporation, unfortunately, small businesses are easier to attack. Small businesses account for the majority of cases of cyberattacks with 61% of small-to-medium enterprises reporting experiencing a data breach. 

The reason behind small businesses being an easy target for malicious hackers is, unlike large corporations, they lack the resources to defend against various forms of cybersecurity threats. So, as a small business owner, you risk experiencing an average of eight hours of downtime with losses up to several millions of dollars as a result of data breaches. 

What Makes Your Small Business Vulnerable?

With small businesses being most at risk of cyberattacks, why are they struggling to be cyber-safe? Mostly, it’s because small enterprise owners view cybersecurity as a non-issue and are thus unwilling to invest in security infrastructure. 

Those that consider the importance of cybersecurity, still have to work within a budget to protect their businesses. Financial constraints play a huge role in limiting small businesses’ ability to prepare for and recover from cyberattacks. 

Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses 

So, as a small business owner, you’re sold on the idea of having a strong defense system to protect your business, its employees, partners, and customers but you don’t know where to start. The following tips will keep your business safe from the constantly growing and evolving cyber threat catalog.

• Train your workforce: the biggest threat to your business’s safety is negligent employees who don’t follow security policies. Training employees on various cybersecurity issues can go a long way in shaping their behavior to the benefit of your safety. 
• Passwords and authentication: make it mandatory for your employees to always use strong and unique passwords which they must change after every three months. In addition, adopt multi-factor authentication that requires more than just a password to gain entry. 
• Software updates: ensuring your software are always up-to-date will increase your defenses. Manufacturers and software developers tweak their products to protect them from emerging and dangerous vulnerabilities. These tweaks are often pushed over as software updates. 
• Secure and safe backups: you can minimize the impact of certain breaches such as ransomware attacks or DDoS by backing up your data, server, and systems. 
• Secure Wi-Fi networks and internet connection: ensure your workplace Wi-Fi is secure, encrypted, and hidden. Also, normalize utilizing tools such as VPNs to encrypt and tunnel network traffic when using the internet. 
• Invest in cybersecurity tools: investing in cybersecurity tools such as anti-virus, firewall, packet sniffers, network intrusion detection, penetration testing, and the likes can enhance your defense. You don’t need lots of money for these tools, lots of affordable options from reputable vendors exist. 

Strengthen your Cybersecurity with Thinline Tech 

Keeping your business safe from cyber threats is vital to avoiding the costly implications of data breaches and related disasters. Get in touch with us today to explore how best to protect your business, employees, and customers with a cost-effective cybersecurity plan. Call us at +14104539300 for more information.